Reasons to Be Cheerful

The return of the BMW M1

Like Abba and malaise, this late-seventies classic is having a comeback. (And unlike the first two, it's actually appreciated.) The reason? The coolest Bimmer ever turns 30 this year, and to celebrate, the automaker created the M1 Hommage concept, an update to the iconic 1978 coupe. Better yet, it's actually expected to go into production, under the newly created M10 moniker. Look for it by 2012.Photo: BMW

Topman comes to the U.S.

Between its sharp house sensibility (more designed than manufactured), a healthy appreciation for young talent (collaborators include Kim Jones, Tim Hamilton, and Patrik Ervell), and, oh, yeah, its prices (cheap and cheaper), U.K.-based Topman deserves its stellar rep. And now, with a 40,000-square-foot New York store opening this October, the full range will no longer require a flight across the pond and a currency exchange. Good news for your wallet and your wardrobe.

Flickr porn

Okay, so the Web ain't exactly lacking variety when it comes to this sort of thing, but for something that's mostly tasteful—and far less incriminating in your browser's history folder—Flickr's a surprisingly good place to start. Photographer Ben Fernon, for instance, has been kind enough to include several Playboy-quality pinups in his photo stream, while the pervs behind the blog Chicksnbreasts offer a regularly updated digest of Flickr's hottest new additions. Also worth checking out: Tumblr sites like Debauchette or Beautiful and Depraved. Or so we're told, anyway. (All links NSFW, obviously.)Photo: Ben Fernon / www.flickr.com/photos/benfernon

Craig Robinson gets his due

Judd Apatow's band of underemployed dudes' dudes are easy to love, but they're also easy to get sick of. Look past the pudgy white guys, however, and you'll find relief in the form of, well, a pudgy black guy: Office scene-stealer Craig Robinson. He recently joined Team Apatow for Pineapple Express, and he's on to another stint with Seth Rogen in Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Robinson is typically at his tonic best opposite long-winded schmoozers—see the way he calls out Michael Scott's ladies' suit. Up next (we hope): a central role on the much-delayed Office spin-off.Photo: Richard Wolowicz/WireImage

Milan Vukmirovic, back designing clothes

After stints at Colette and Jil Sander, talented Slavic designer Milan Vukmirovic went into semi-exile, focusing on photography and styling. Things turned around this spring, however, when he found an unlikely new home: Bergamo's traditional-minded Trussardi 1911. The move reinvigorated both parties. Vukmirovic's winning debut, which is full of edgy twists on the classics (think tailored tux jackets in gold and silver velvet), will also be his first-ever collection available in the United States.

Eco-friendly gear without compromises

Admit it: Going green has always felt a little, well, eat-your-vegetables. That's finally starting to change (in the tech world, anyway). Take, for instance, Dell's new Studio Hybrid PCs. Not only do they consume a minimum amount of power, they're designed well enough to hold their own next to any Apple product. (Which reminds us: The MacBook Air's LED screens are also low on power-consumption.) And with everything from Vizio TVs to Class D amps requiring fewer watts to run, it doesn't seem like we've landed on a greener era so much as a greener era has landed on us.Photo: Dell

"Psychedelic Raj"

Too often, designers' inspirations are either unwearably arcane or unbearably trite (news flash: We all love Steve McQueen, okay?). In concocting the theme for his Spring '09 collection, which was inspired by an old photo of Hendrix, André Benjamin apparently managed to avoid both traps. (Either that or we just love to hear the man say "psychedelic raj"—trust us, it's awesome.) The results are more raj than psychedelic (not a bad thing), and in any case, it's good to see him pushing the envelope sartorially. You know, the way he once did in music.Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Biy

Your odds of getting invited to Padma Lakshmi's place have never been better

As purred by the statuesque former Mrs. Rushdie, even the chilly Top Chef send-off "Please pack your knives and go" packs some kitchen heat. Shrewdly, though, the kitchen goddess isn't putting all her eggs in that particular basket—instead, she's currently working on a show that casts her as host of a series of small dinner parties, all set in her New York apartment. No word yet on who'll be on the invite list, or whether aging, not-very-attractive novelists will have a leg up, but we'll be watching (if not attending).Photo: Greg Cadel

Michael Strahan, football analyst

If there's one thing this NFL off-season taught us, it's to appreciate a guy who knows how to retire. After his team won the Super Bowl, this gap-toothed former Giant bid the game a for-real farewell and lined up a gig on Fox NFL's Sunday pregame show. Judging by the homemade videos he had been contributing for years—his London guide was can't-miss—Strahan's jovial weirdness ought to make for an excellent fit with Terry, Howie, and the gang.Photo: Courtesy of Fox Sports

The true significance of Steampunk

Ever wonder what would happen if Apple replaced Jonathan Ive with H.G. Wells? Yeah, us neither, but the nation's dorktastic steampunk devotees—those fond of old-timey wind-up whirligigs (or who've designed their USB drives to resemble them)—might beg to differ. Why this is a good thing: Even in our live-blogging, CrackBerry-addicted era, isn't it nice to know that there are still people with the free time to engage in this kind of highly orchestrated nonsense?Photo: steubenswheelmen.blogspot.com